In an unexpected (but not necessarily surprising) move, the American Civil Liberties Union is asking the state to launch an investigation into gender discrimination in Hollywood.

As reported by The New York Times on Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union has asked state and federal agencies to investigate the hiring practices of major Hollywood studios, networks and talent agencies.

The A.C.L.U. cites “rampant and intentional gender discrimination in recruiting and hiring female directors,” backing up their claims with pretty shocking figures: over the past dozen years, women have directed only 4% of Hollywood’s top-grossing films.

On Tuesday, the organization thus called on the state to investigate their claims of, “overt sex stereotyping and implicit bias.”

Related: Warner Bros. eyeing female director for Wonder Woman

And it’s not just that women aren’t being hired — it’s that they’re not even being considered for jobs.

The A.C.L.U. has collected stories from 50 female directors, and the findings were pretty damning: allegedly, producers are telling agents to “not send women” for prospective jobs; television executives dismiss female directors on the basis that “we already hired a woman this season,” and some shows are simply not “woman friendly.”

Melissa Goodman, director of the L.G.B.T., Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the A.C.L.U. of Southern California, says in a statement, “Women directors aren’t working on an even playing field and aren’t getting a fair opportunity to succeed. Gender discrimination is illegal. And, really, Hollywood doesn’t get this free pass when it comes to civil rights and gender discrimination.”

Related: Doctor Who adds first female director in four years

“Real change is needed to address this entrenched and long-running problem of discrimination against women directors,” the A.C.L.U. demands in letters sent to the commission, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Labor Department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. “External investigations and oversight by government entities tasked with enforcing civil rights laws is necessary to effectuate this change.”

In related news, we learned this morning that Marvel is courting Ava DuVernay — one of Hollywood’s very few active female, African-American directors — for one of their “diverse” (their word, not ours) superhero movies; presumably either Black Panter or the female-led Captain Marvel.

We’ll look forward to seeing how this case proceeds.